Every parliamentary written question tabled by Afzal Khan this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 201–220 of 399 · this parliament
What steps her Department is taking to support students with special educational needs and disabilities.
By prioritising early intervention, training and inclusive support in mainstream schools, while ensuring special schools can support the most complex needs, we are expanding the capacity to deliver timely, consistent, high quality special educational needs and disabilities provision.We are engaging with children, parents and experts on wider reforms.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential contribution of the (a) horticulture, (b) landscape and (c) garden retail sectors to green (i) growth and (ii) jobs.
The Government appreciates and values the vital work of our environmental horticulture sector. The Department regularly meets the Environmental Horticulture Group, as well as a wide range of stakeholders and businesses to discuss specific issues facing the sector. These discussions help inform future policy development and help us understand what support the sector needs to help it thrive. In addition, we work across Government to ensure other Government departments are aware of issues that impact the sector.
Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to help promote (a) private and (b) communal garden space in new housing developments; and whether he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing minimum garden density of 29.5% in all new developments.
The National Planning Policy Framework emphasises the importance of a network of high quality, open spaces for the health and wellbeing of communities and the environment. This is supported by national design guidance, which explains that well designed places provide both usable private and public open green spaces, which can include private and communal gardens.We currently have no plans to assess the merits of introducing minimum garden density in new developments.
Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to recognise (a) private and (b) communal gardens as a part of green infrastructure in the delivery of (i) net zero and (ii) climate resilience strategies.
The National Planning Policy Framework defines green infrastructure as a network of multi-functional green and blue spaces and other natural features – urban and rural – that are capable of delivering a wide range of environmental, economic, health, and wellbeing benefits for nature, climate, local and wider communities and prosperity. In this context, private and communal gardens can form part of green infrastructure, as they are capable of falling under this broad definition. The Framework further makes clear that new development should be planned for in ways that avoid increased vulnerability to the range of impacts arising from climate change. When new development is brought forward in areas which are vulnerable, care should be taken to ensure that risks can be managed through suitable adaptation measures, including through incorporating green infrastructure.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of progress towards meeting 2026 air quality compliance limits in Greater Manchester.
Defra’s ‘Air Pollution in the UK report 2024’ which includes the annual assessment of compliance with the Air Quality Standards Regulations, was published on 30 September 2025. This contains information specific to the Greater Manchester Urban Area. We agreed an £86m investment led clean air plan for Greater Manchester in January 2025 to address exceedances of nitrogen dioxide. This will see the city benefit from cleaner buses; local traffic measures and upgrades to the taxi fleet to help clean up the region’s air. We are continuing to work closely with Greater Manchester Authorities to monitor its delivery and in order to ensure compliance with NO2 limits in the shortest possible time.
Food and Rural Affairs, when her Department plans to publish the Air Pollution in the UK 2024 Compliance Assessment Summary report.
Defra’s ‘Air Pollution in the UK report 2024’ which includes the annual assessment of compliance with the Air Quality Standards Regulations, was published on 30 September 2025. The report can be accessed on gov.uk: Air pollution in the UK 2024 - GOV.UK
Food and Rural Affairs, what plans her Department has to improve air quality monitoring in Manchester Rusholme constituency.
Local authorities are responsible for monitoring and assessing local air quality in their areas. At a national level, air quality monitoring is undertaken across Greater Manchester at multiple locations, including Salford Eccles, Manchester Picadilly, Tameside A635, Bury Whitefield Roadside, Shaw Crompton Way and Manchester Sharston, measuring either NO2 and/or PM2.5.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of mandatory method-of-production labelling on sales for UK farmers.
We are considering the potential role of method of production labelling reform as part of the ongoing development of the Government’s wider animal welfare strategy.
What assessment his Department has made of (a) the potential merits of a national public awareness campaign on the health impacts of air pollution and (b) the capacity of his Department to implement such a campaign.
Earlier this year, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), supported by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), published a report and recommendations following a comprehensive Air Quality Information System review to explore ways of improving the provision of air quality information to the public.The review made recommendations for the development of a communications strategy to raise public awareness of air pollution, including the actions that the Government and other public bodies are taking, and the actions that individuals can take to protect their health and reduce their personal contributions to poor air quality.The Department for Health and Social Care is working closely with DEFRA and UKHSA to address the recommendations from the review to help make air quality part of everyday conversations.
What recent estimate his Department has made of the health costs associated with air pollution in Greater Manchester.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has published a tool to allow local authorities to estimate the health benefits and cost effectiveness of improved air quality, at a local authority level.The information is not held in the format requested. However, the cost of air pollution tool quantifies the potential costs to the National Health Service and social care due to the health impacts of particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in England and separately for each local authority. The tool and the estimated costs are available at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/air-pollution-a-tool-to-estimate-healthcare-costs
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of introducing method of production labelling on (a) the economy and (b) farm incomes.
We are considering the potential role of method of production labelling reform as part of the ongoing development of the Government’s wider animal welfare strategy.
Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of mandatory method-of-production labelling on consumer choice.
We are considering the potential role of method of production labelling reform as part of the ongoing development of the Government’s wider animal welfare strategy.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of method-of-production labelling on animal welfare standards.
We are considering the potential role of method of production labelling reform as part of the ongoing development of the Government’s wider animal welfare strategy.
Communities and Local Government, what data his Department holds on the number of households in temporary accommodation in Manchester; and what his policy is on reducing the number of households in temporary accommodation in Manchester.
The Government publishes data on the number of people in temporary accommodation in England on gov.uk here.The Government is working to get back on track to ending homelessness, including developing a new cross-Government strategy and increasing funding for homelessness services this year by £316 million to a total of more than £1 billion.
Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to mandate method-of-production welfare labelling for (a) pork, (b) chicken and (c) eggs.
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for York Central, Rachael Maskell, on 8 October 2025, PQ UIN 76016.
With reference to the National Youth Agency’s document entitled National Youth Sector Census Snapshot Report - Summer 2025, published in September 2025, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help (a) increase the level of targeted youth work and (b) improve referral pathways to safeguard young people from violence and exploitation in (i) deprived areas (ii) all areas.
We welcome the National Youth Agency’s (NYA) National Youth Sector Census Report.The Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) Million Hours Fund provides youth organisations with funding to deliver over a million additional hours of positive activities for young people in areas with higher levels of anti-social behaviour. It gives young people more places to go and positive things to do. Announced in July 2025, Phase 3 of the Million Hours Fund will receive a £19 million joint investment (£12 million from DCMS and £7 million from the National Lottery Community Fund). In addition, DCMS are working across government to develop a National Youth Strategy due to be published this Autumn, to set out a new long-term vision for young people and an action plan for delivering this.Through its Young Futures Programme the Government is intervening earlier, to ensure Children and Young People (CYP) who are facing poorer outcomes and are vulnerable to being drawn into crime are identified and offered support in a more systematic way. As part of this, we are already piloting new Young Futures Panels – new local multi-agency approaches to proactively identify and support those young people at risk of being drawn into violence and crime. Alongside this, we are launching our first early adopter Young Futures Hubs next year to ensure that the right support is available to the right young people in the right places.As committed to in the Government’s manifesto, we are also introducing a new offence of criminal exploitation of children in the Crime and Policing Bill to go after the gangs who are luring young people into violence and crime. We are also delivering new civil preventative orders to disrupt and prevent child criminal exploitation from occurring or re-occurring.
What steps she is taking to ensure that schools are not financially disincentivised from admitting students with SEND.
This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life. The department is providing an increase of £1 billion for high needs budgets in England in the 2025/26 financial year.We are continuing to engage closely with children, parents and experts as we develop plans to ensure all children get the outcomes and life chances they deserve. We are engaging with experts, teachers, parents and young people on wider reforms and are keeping the funding arrangements under review to help ensure that mainstream schools are inclusive for children with SEND. It is important that we establish a fair school funding system that directs funding to where it is needed and that does not inadvertently disincentivise schools from admitting and retaining pupils with SEND.
Whether she plans to take legislative steps to guarantee the right to SEN support for children with and without Education, Health and Care Plans.
This government inherited a special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system that has failed to meet the needs of families for far too long. This government’s ambition is that all children and young people with SEND receive the right support to succeed in their education and as they move into adult life.We will build a better system which is grounded in evidence, identifies and supports need at the earliest opportunity and ensures families can secure support swiftly and easily. There will always be a legal right to additional support for children and young people with SEND.The department is continuing to engage closely with children, parents and experts as we develop plans to ensure all children and young people get the outcomes and life chances they deserve. We will be setting out further steps later this year.
Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of funding for local authorities to support homelessness (a) prevention and (b) relief.
The Government inherited a homelessness crisis. In response we are providing over £1 billion for homelessness services this year, a £316 million increase on the previous year. The 2025 Spending Review has protected this record level of investment for the next three years.
Media and Sport, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing statutory maximum waiting times for young people to access youth services.
This Government fully recognises the importance of youth services to help young people live safe and healthy lives, and we are committed to giving all young people the chance to reach their full potential. We also, however, acknowledge the challenges facing the sector. That is why we are co-producing a new National Youth Strategy. The Strategy will better coordinate youth services and policy at a local, regional and national level, moving away from siloed working - ensuring services for young people are better coordinated and add up to more than the sum of their parts. We do not intend to introduce a statutory maximum waiting time for young people to access youth services.